Romney went on the offensive, as he had in a forum on Monday. The former Massachusetts governor said it was “repulsive” for the former House speaker to label him “the most anti-immigrant” candidate in the field. He blasted Gingrich’s moon proposal, saying that if someone had brought it to him, his response would have been “You’re fired.” He goaded his rival into a discussion of his taxes.
Gingrich fought back repeatedly, arguing that he has bigger ideas and a greater willingness to shake up Washington than his rivals do. He protested when Romney hit him, saying, “You’re very quick to draw the widest possible exaggeration.” He said he is a more natural heir to the legacy of Ronald Reagan.
Gingrich held his own but he did not have the kind of dominating performance that marked his appearances in two South Carolina debates. In contrast, Romney, who was less impressive in those forums, stepped up at a critical moment in the Florida campaign.
The tension between the two contenders was evident throughout the evening, confirming how significant the next several days could be in the race.
(Chat with The Fix’s Aaron Blake on the GOP debate’s winners and losers)
Who were the winners and losers from the Republican debate? The Fix’s Rachel Weiner and Aaron Blake rated the best and worst performances
of the evening, here is a selection:
WINNERS
* Mitt Romney: The obvious one, yes. It wasn’t all good for the former Massachusetts governor, but given how lackluster Newt Gingrich’s performance was, it’s hard not to call this anything but a win for Romney, who wins whenever Gingrich fails.
In fact, Romney slipped up a few times. He again said rather tone-deafly that he would “fire” somebody who told him a moon colony was a good idea in tough economic times, he incorrectly stated that one of his ads wasn’t his ad, and he suggested to Rick Santorum that President Obama’s health care bill wasn’t something to get angry about (we think many Republicans are pretty openly angry about it).
And in none of these three cases did Romney’s opponents — and particularly Gingrich — make him pay for it.
Truth be told, there were openings for Gingrich; he just didn’t take advantage of them.
* Moderators: Gingrich tried to return to his days of ragging on debate moderators, but it went poorly.
At one point, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Gingrich whether he was happy with Romney’s disclosure of some of his tax returns, and Gingrich recoiled at the question.
“This is a nonsense question,” he said.
That would have been fine, except that Gingrich himself has pushed the issue for the past week-plus. And Romney called him on it.
Gingrich argues: “I’m perfectly happy to say that in an interview on some TV show, but this is a national debate, where you have a chance to get the four of us to talk about a whole range of issues.”
Romney’s on-key response: “Wouldn’t it be nice if people didn’t make accusations somewhere else that they weren’t willing to defend here?
Blitzer: 1. Gingrich: 0.
Recent polling has Romney ahead of Gingrich in Florida, and ahead of Tuesday’s primary both candidates will look to erode the other’s support and claim the Sunshine State’s delegates. As Scott Clement reported:
Mitt Romney leads Newt Gingrich by 38 to 29 percent in the Florida Republican primary contest, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Friday. As in the South Carolina contest, Gingrich is strongest among tea party supporters and white evangelical Christians, while Romney does better among others. Romney more than doubles Gingrich’s support among voters under age 50, while Gingrich ties or leads among older votes
Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum score 14 and 12 percent support, respectively, jockeying for third place in the primary on Tuesday. There’s still room for movement, as one in three voters say they might change their mind.
Gingrich surged to a victory in South Carolina on the heels of two well-received debate performances. This week, he has been less dominant in debates, while Romney has performed better.
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Fact checking the CNN debate in Florida
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